Volunteers serve breakfast to the needy at a shelter in Mount Clemens, Mich.

WASHINGTON (CNS)—The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops is urging priests across the country to preach about "the
terrible toll the current economic turmoil is taking on families and
communities."

In a letter to his fellow bishops, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New
York said he was writing at the recommendation of the Administrative
Committee, which directs the work of the USCCB between general
assemblies.

The committee "wanted something more than a public statement," he said in the letter, dated Sept. 15 and made public Sept. 19.

"I hope we can use our opportunities as pastors, teachers and leaders to
focus public attention and priority on the scandal of so much poverty
and so many without work in our society," Archbishop Dolan said, noting
that special resources and materials to assist in that effort would be
posted in an Unemployment and Poverty section of the USCCB website,
www.usccb.org.

"Widespread unemployment, underemployment and pervasive poverty are
diminishing human lives, undermining human dignity and hurting children
and families," he said.

The archbishop pointed out that the U.S. Census Bureau had released
statistics during the Sept. 13-14 Administrative Committee meeting
showing that 46 million people, including 16 million children, were
living in poverty in the United States in 2010.

"These numbers bring home to us the human costs and moral consequences
of a broken economy that cannot fully utilize the talents, energy and
work of all our people," he said. "The common good will not advance;
economic security will not be achieved; and individual initiative will
be weakened when so many live without the dignity of work and bear the
crushing burden of poverty."

He said African-Americans and Hispanics "live with unemployment and
poverty at far higher rates than others" and immigrant workers were
"especially vulnerable to exploitation and unfair treatment," in
contradiction to "our national pledge of 'liberty and justice for all'"
and "the consistent teaching of our church."

Archbishop Dolan said "the best way out of poverty is to work at a living wage."

The nation's "economic failures have fundamental institutional and
systemic elements that have either been ignored or made worse by
political and economic behaviors, which have undermined trust and
confidence," he said.

"However, this is not time to make excuses or place blame," the
archbishop said. "It is time for everyone to accept their own personal
and institutional responsibility to help create jobs and to overcome
poverty, each in accord with their own abilities and opportunities.

"Individuals and families, faith-based and community groups, businesses
and labor, government at every level, all must work together and find
effective ways to promote the common good in national and economic
life," Archbishop Dolan said.